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Wind alert is probably the best site/mobile app to use. IT takes the reading directly from actual stations. In some areas they do virtual stations using colleted trend data and actual observations. By far they are the most accurate and will tell you the conditions at the station closest to where you want to fly. Weather channel is probably the best forecast site and the winds will be pretty close to the range given. THey also use historical data to predict trends. Don't use hourly forcasts though except to get a generall idea of the range over a few hours.

I found Wind Alert recently, so I haven't had time to use it much, but the "virtual stations" seem misleading to me. There's one virtual station right smack on my flying field, but its report often seems too good to be true. That virtual station can report 12mph... while being surrounded by physical stations 10 miles away that are all reporting 0-3 mph. I'll have a deeper look at wind alert because as you say it provides a lot more detail, but that virtual station was disappointing.

Another thing you need to keep in mind when viewing weather reports is where the weather station is located. Normally these are high up on top of buildings or in areas where there are wide open fields like airports etc... Most kite flying is done well below the top of high buildings and air traffic control towers. What the weather station is predicting or reporting is most likely not what you will be flying in.

That makes sense -- the closest physical weather station to my flying field is a large airport, and its weather station is probably up high and reporting more than the wind at ground level. However, what really matters to me is the direction of the wind, because my flying field is good only for a certain range of wind directions. The airport is just a few miles from the field, so I'd hope that the wind direction is at least close. So any tips for getting the direction of the wind would be helpful.

You know, I didn't think much of that site at first, but it might be helpful. Like I said before, I'm most interested in figuring out what direction the wind is coming from (or will be coming from this evening or a day or two in advance). I checked that site now, and it shows that the wind across my whole state is consistently from the same direction. That might suggest a more consistent, reliable forecast and report. If some places show north and some places show south, it's probably less reliable.

THe virtual stations in wind alert are a work in progress. THey just started developing them recently and don't update them very often. As I under stand it they gather the data over several days from different places to come up with a likely measurement and then update. I don't know the whole process but the guy I talked to about adding one for my field said it takes a few months just to get enough info to decide where to put one. If you select a station it will tell you when it was last updated.

One thing to keep in mind about the map with the isobars, if you read closely, it is only for artistic purposes. Not meant to be a forecasting tool, but I look at it to see movement in air systems. I then guess what kind of air I might get that day.

the best way to perdict your forcast is to stick your head outside and feel the wind and look at the clouds I know it is not very gauged and meter oritnentend but I think it has work for many many many many years now

the best way to perdict your forcast is to stick your head outside and feel the wind and look at the clouds I know it is not very gauged and meter oritnentend but I think it has work for many many many many years now

it helps to understand the weather patterns and you soon learn every flag in the area to measure windspeed too

the best way to perdict your forcast is to stick your head outside and feel the wind and look at the clouds I know it is not very gauged and meter oritnentend but I think it has work for many many many many years now

I'd be thrilled to be able to look out the window and see the weather at my flying field, but I have to make a drive for unobstructed wind. That means on weekdays I have no choice but to rely on forecasts to know when to pack the kites and clothes to work and duck out early to run to the field. I can't do that every day.

I was disappointed today. In the morning, the forecasts for the RDU airport predicted afternoon SW wind at 6-8 mph, and SW is a favorable direction for my field. However, as the day went on, the forecast dropped and dropped until it predicted near-nothing at RDU and at the nearby stations. The actual weather observation report at the airport showed 5 mph from the west, so I left work early out of stubbornness. I walked out onto the field and enjoyed the sun and warmth for a few minutes, but it was apparent that there wasn't going to be any flying that day -- the wind was zero gusting to a beaufort 1; it was rarely even noticeable on my face and when it was, it kept changing direction. The kites aren't likely to get much exercise this summer at this rate. Oh, well; it's better in the fall and winter here.

the best way to perdict your forcast is to stick your head outside and feel the wind and look at the clouds I know it is not very gauged and meter oritnentend but I think it has work for many many many many years now

This is the way I do it, but I fly at home, I have a wind meter and used it for for checking high winds like 45-50mph. To me flying one kite instead of another because of 1 or 2mph isn't too important to me. If I was to travel to fly for a weekend somewhere, I would like a bit of a forecast, mostly to rain or snow.

Another thing you can do is get the zip code of your flying field, or if it is school or a park, it may have it's own weather bug station. Once you know this, check Weather.com or if you can stand the pooh that you get along with it, choose Weatherbug.com. Enter the zip code or landmark and you have the weather near your flying field at your finger tips. I think that both work with smart phones. Have fun.

I agree with Magpie. I also use the Weatherbug app and choose a location that closely resembles the area where I usually fly. I happen to fly at a park only about 2 miles from an elementary school that is a WB station. The instruments are on the roof of a single story school so that is about the same height as what I fly.

What I really like is that the readings are real time and in my situation are a good indicator of what I am experiencing.

Hope this helps.

The app has ads but that are just at the bottom and do not get in the way.

Logged

A few SLKs, a few Dualies, and a couple of Quads. Still trying to learn more.

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